Appropriately billed as a âlive imaginingâ, Freedman Does Nilsson presents the sometime lead singer of The Whitlams, Tim Freedman, alone with a black Steinway grand piano and the chance to play the works of the celebrated Harry Nilsson. It makes for just over an hour of riveting entertainment.
The show was presented as if by a 50-year-old Nilsson, the songs linked with brief narratives and musings. Some of these mentioned regrets and less savoury episodes in his life, and there was even a mention of his death a couple of years ahead, which added a ghostly quality.
âEverybodyâs Talkinââ was a superlative opening and the song list included many hoped-for favourites, such as sweetly mournful renditions of âOneâ, â1941â and âLiving Without Youâ. More energetic tunes like âGotta Get Upâ received just the right bounce, not least because of Freedmanâs terrific keyboard skills.
Hearing the songs pared back, without the recordingsâ common strings or punchy brass accompaniment, was more successful than one might have imagined. With just a piano and voice, it accentuated similarities to the style of Nilssonâs hero, Randy Newman. Not surprisingly, given that Nilsson recorded a whole album of Newman songs, a couple of those featured in the performance.
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It would have been a foolish to expect â or even want â a note-by-note impersonation of the dual Grammy Award winner. Instead, Freedman captured the spirit of the man and added his own distinctive talents to remind the audience of his subjectâs remarkable voice and composing skills.
A fabulous version of Badfingerâs emotive song âWithout Youâ drew resounding applause before a brief encore. It was well deserved.
Tim Freedman will be performing his final show tonight (Thursday) at the Dunstan Playhouse. The Adelaide Cabaret Festival continues until June 21.
 For more stories and reviews, see InDailyâs 2014 Adelaide Cabaret Festival hub.
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